PakarBedahAnda or Your-General-Surgeon is my blog in which I highlight common surgical problems faced by Malaysians. In the last 20 years of my practice, many of my patients presented with advanced diseases in which treatments were more complicated, and if they were cancers then the prognosis were poor. This is also my personal 'fight' against late presentation of surgical diseases particularly cancers.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Immediate Breast Reconstruction - Is this the Solution ?

Running away from proper medical treatment for breast cancer especially surgery resulting in late presentation. This in turn manifested in poor prognosis and untimely death. But for most Malaysians women, that is not the problem. Biar mati berkopek asal jangan .....whatever!. The irony is that, if they have a small benign goitre (thyroid swelling) in the neck or a ganglion in the wrist joint, they rush to us for removal. Maklumlah tak comel dipandang mata.

So, if surgeons can offer our breast-cancer-striken women a 'replacement' after mastectomy, probably more will come for proper treatment, instead of going to the bomoh.

I personally believe that mastectomy is a body mutilating procedure. But what option do we have? We have to get rid of the cancers and save the women.

If I ask you to choose between A (post mastectomy and cured of cancer) and B (maggot-infested cancer and imminent death), many of you will choose A.

No, not for many Malaysian women that I have seen. That is why I have a collection of them - gambar le ! They rather die a 'whole woman' rather than live an 'incomplete women'.

Thus if surgeons can reconstruct that 'thing' to make them 'complete' again, then we can probably save more women. Those who came to me are always given options for reconstruction either immediate or late. Immediate reconstruction is done together with the mastectomy. Meaning, if they go to the operation theatre with the cancerous breast, they wake up from the surgery with a new breast free of cancer. Whereas late reconstruction is done later after they are cured of the cancer, usually after completion of chemotherapy or even later, when dia terasa nak comel semula.

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About Me

I am a general surgeon practising in a private hospital in Kota Bharu. Previously I was a senior lecturer in the Department of Surgery, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian Kelantan. My interest is in colorectal diseases especially colorectal cancers.

Ask Me

You can communicate with me by putting up a comment into this blog or directly emailing me at zahari@perdana.kpjhealth.com.my. I will respond to your enquiry as a posting in this blog or directly to you. However my answers will be general in nature. Proper medical advices (consultations) need proper diagnosis - clinical examination, laboratory, radiological investigations etc. You are adviced to consult your surgeon.

As parts of my 'fight against late presentation of cancer among Malaysians' I am willing to give talks on cancer or any relevent topics to the public in gatherings such as school functions, seminars and workshops especially in and around Kota Bharu. Just contact me at the above email address